Maykadeh

Tardy review here as I came on NYE 2024. This is one of my all time favorite Persian restaurants. I have nothing but admiration for this establishment as they are consistently great at what they do. Food is amazing. Service is typically excellent. Finally, nothing beats white table cloth, same servers for years and dining in North Beach.Quick Summary+ Lamb tongue is my all time favorite. It cannot be replicated. It's tender, creamy and bursting with flavor. There is little gaminess in that smooth texture of lengua. Add a little sumac to the yogurt sauce for a little more tart and it's delicious. I want my last meal to be this dish. It's that good! (5/5)+ Koobideh meal here comes with saffron rice, tomato and 2 skewers. It has a hint of lamb flavor which I think differentiates it from others. There is a juicy char flavor to this traditional favorite. (5/5)+ Ghorme Sabzee is a leg of lamb stewed in Persian spices with kidney beans. It's like Persian Hormel chili on steroids. Unfortunately it's an acquired taste as I used to find it bland but grew to love this dish over the years. (5/5)- Lunchtime service was slow this day as I felt like I waited almost 1 hour for the food. (3/5)- Parking can be difficult at night but NYE was not a problem. (3/5)I've been coming here for over 30 years. They've gone away with the Lamborghini Countach posters in the restroom. It's been renovated nicely with marble/granite. My Persian buddy that took me here as a teenager still ask me about this place. When I'm nearby, I'll order the lamb tongue for takeout. I am impressed that I've seen staff members from eons ago still around. Valet parking here is very convenient.

I love coming to this restaurant when I'm in the city and craving for Persian food.It was busy during dinner time, but luckily we got seated in about 15 minutes.We ordered the Baba Ghanoush, a smoked roasted egg plant with tahini that's finely chopped smoothly to spread over the pita bread.Kashke Bademjan is an eggplant with garlic and mint combined smoothly. A perfect combination with the pita bread.Chelo-kabob Koobideh, a ground meat that's combined with Angus beef and lamb with Persian spices, it was perfectly grilled.Koresht Fesenjoon, a chicken thigh cooked in dry roasted walnuts and pomegranate juice. This was tender, and the sauce had a mild sweet and sour taste to it.Koresht bademjan, a lamb shank that's braised with eggplant and tomato saffron, it was really tender and savory. My favorite dessert is the homemade Baklava, a sweet phyllo crust with pistachios, a perfect way to end the meal. Great service, definitely will come back again.

Lunch at this spot was a delightful experience--especially for my keto-loving friend who skips carbs without complaint. We arrived on a quiet weekday, and I mean really quiet--we were the only diners in the place.Our order was simple but satisfying: four kebabs, a generous helping of garlic dip, and an unusual request for extra onion as a carb-free alternative to the pile of pita (which I happily demolished). The kebabs--those long, flavorful skewers of seasoned lamb--were superbly spiced and incredibly dense, in the best way possible. I crafted little bites of pita, meat, and garlic sauce that were nothing short of heavenly. Even the roasted tomato on the plate was worth mentioning for its smoky perfection.But let's not forget the real star of the show--the dining room kitty! This little feline sat quietly behind us throughout the entire meal, the picture of politeness. It added a cozy, quirky charm that I'll remember long after the taste of garlic dip fades.Final verdict? Great food, fantastic ambiance (thanks, kitty), and an enjoyable lunch break. =^..^=

During a business trip, my boss recommended Maykadeh in Telegraph Hill for a great Persian lunch for myself and another colleague.Overall, the experience was quite lovely. On a picture-perfect day in San Francisco, the three of us scored a great shaded outdoor table to enjoy our lunch. Prior to sitting down, we were trying to find parking, which can prove nearly impossible in this area, especially on a Friday or Saturday. I did notice that a few spaces were reserved out front (apparently for valet), but they were not marked. A gentleman approached us when we parked and didn't tell us he was valet, but instead demanded our keys and $20. When I asked if he was the valet, he wouldn't answer, instead insisting we give him the keys and $20. I again questioned him but he wasn't answering my question. Eventually, someone from the restaurant confirmed that he was the valet. I didn't want to just hand over my car keys to a stranger, so I wished he just identified himself from the start, rather than create a minor hostile experience. Once seated, the service was friendly and welcoming. The woman that took our orders was quiet, but polite, and brought our food out within 20 minutes. I went with the Poussin entree, (Baby chicken with all the bones marinated in onion, saffron, lime juice, vegetables, Basmati rice), as my boss recommended getting this version with bone-in for all of the added marinated juices.When my plate arrived, it was quite full of color and flavors. The chicken itself was outstanding. Incredibly juicy, well seasoned and delicious. The Basmati rice was also excellent. However, aside from the wonderful grilled tomato, the green vegetables were a bit underwhelming in flavor and temperature with respect to the other elements on the plate. My colleagues also enjoyed their Koobideh skewers, and a little more adventurous Lamb Tongue and Brain, if that suits your particular taste palette. The prices are also very reasonable, considering the quality and the amount of food served. San Francisco is one of those great culinary cities in America. I have had some many wonderful experiences here. A restaurant like Maykadeh is a solid option if you are in the area looking for a casual, no fuss, homemade Persian culinary treat.

(3.5 out of 5)If the rating was just in food it would be a 2/2.5, but the ambiance in this place is amazing, I was with my friends family we walked in on New Year's Eve and got escorted to the back. The ambiance here... 6/5 it was super fun with music and people dancing. Definitely a great experience! I suggest this place just for the fun of it! Service was exceptional! When you come tell them Rothyy sent you!

Food: 4.3/5The meal started with warm bread, greens, sumac and good butter. Ghormeh sabzi tasted authentic. The rice for the kebab dish had an unexpected sweetness to it which I didn't necessarily enjoy. Chicken kebob was ok. My personal favorite was the lule (with ground lamb and beef).Presentation: 4.7/5The dishes were not works of art, but the food was served in a family style which felt very traditional and made us nostalgic for home. We loved every bit of it.Service: 5/5The staff were super friendly and prompt with our requests.Atmosphere: 4/5A cozy but spacious family restaurant vibes. Nothing spectacular though.Value: 4/5While not inexpensive, the value to enjoyment ratio was fair.Overall Rating: 4.7/5My friends and I enjoyed our time there and will go back when in need for some good kebob.

Came here to try the tongue which admittedly was delicious. However, we were not impressed by the kabobs and rice. They were mediocre at best. Service was horrible. There was only one server and she was very busy. It was really painful to watch how understaffed the place was. We didn't get water until towards the end of our meal and we had to wait half an hour to just order. Ambiance was okay but overall just not a great experience.

So happy I found this place. I'm from SoCal so Persian food is one of my favorites. There's not too many in the city but this one is a gem. The food I ordered was amazing. The quality tastes so good and juicy. I ordered the Chelo Kebab Koobideh and it was perfect, just what I wanted. I also got the Kashke Bademjan since it was a popular item and I can see why. It's a great dip. The service was soo kind and fast. I came in for my lunch on a Monday, it was really slow but I got great service.The space was big and beautiful. Definitely a good spot for groups. I'll keep this place in mind for a large dinner group in the future.

We were a walk-in towards the end of a night with a party of 6. We were super grateful they took us in late and made sure gratuity reflected that.We were here with 2 Afghani/Persian couples and had no idea what to order. And they ordered everything for us and it was fantastic.We got the Kashke Bademjan. We really liked this one a lot. The eggplant provides a sweet bite into what is a savory green curry. The bottom of the plate is like crusted rice, like you know how if you let the rice cooker on too long, the bottom will harden and clump together. It was like that and it offered a nice crunch to the dish.The joojeh was also really good. There's this like red powder of spice I think you have to ask for but I recommend eating that with it.The baghali was amazing as well. The combination of herbs and beans gives it a fresh and savory flavor.The fallodeh is amazing too. It's a frozen treat made with thin, vermicelli-like noodles combined with a sweet syrup flavored with rose water. Sometimes, lime juice, cherry syrup, or sour cherry puree is added to enhance its flavor.The service was very attentive. I drank everything with a house red. Was a nice choice for heavy curry/meats. One of the wives from our party was being especially difficult calling out every "inconvenience" to the point where the husband was like "dude we like going here, can you not ruin it for us let alone the folks who are here with us now?" And both of the other couples including us were like... uhh chill everything's turning out great. Was funny to watch unfold - but wanted to commend the service on handling it with grace. And I hope they saw that we the only one's chillin'. I kept thinking to myself the scene in the Ryan Reynold's movie, Waiting. Don't belittle people in general but especially not the ones who make your food lmaooo. Look up that scene, I just kept joking at our table that I loved the taste of dandruff to kill the tension home gurl was making hahaha. But yeah - would definitely love to come back and want to show others who visit the Persian dishes here!

The food was delicious and the service was excellent. We felt that the prices were fair given the quantity of the food and quality. The wine was simple and paired well with the food.We appreciated the fact that valet parking was available since it is challenging to find parking in North Beach, SF.